


Fame Without a Life is No Life At All

by eirenical (chibi1723)



Category: Power Rangers in Space
Genre: Effects of Celebrity, F/F, Kissing, Polyamory, Post-Canon, Slice of Life, Sparring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-08 18:11:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20839838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chibi1723/pseuds/eirenical
Summary: “An interview on Good Morning America, a speech at the Boston Marathon, a photo op with thepresident, and… a cooking show?  What the hell are we supposed to know about cooking?  We get most of our food from the simulators!  Cassie, have you seen this itinerary?  What is all this?”Ashley and Cassie have grown weary of the demands placed on them by being celebrity heroes.  Luckily for them, Karone has a solution.





	Fame Without a Life is No Life At All

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jen425](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jen425/gifts).

“An interview on Good Morning America, a speech at the Boston Marathon, a photo op with the _president_, and… a cooking show? What the hell are we supposed to know about cooking? We get most of our food from the simulators! Cassie, have you seen this itinerary? What is all this?”

Cassie looked up from plucking out a tune on her ukulele, an incredulous look on her face. “Oh. Oh, no. Ashley, that’s from yesterday. There’s more, now. They added a press conference in the afternoon, and if I didn’t misunderstand our agent, I think I just got talked into doing Lip Sync Battle.”

Ashley sat down hard in the chair opposite Cassie as what little energy she’d had for this conversation drained. “Are the guys this overscheduled or are we the only lucky ones?”

“Nope. It’s all of us. At least we get to occasionally do something fun in between all the doom-and-gloom conferences and inspirational interviews. I’ll be honest, I’m kind of looking forward to the Lip Sync Battle thing. I think I have Karone halfway talked into doing it with me.”

There was a loud thump from across the room as a set of hand weights hit the floor; it was accompanied by a derisive snort. “You most certainly do not have Karone halfway talked into doing it with you. You don’t even have me 1/100th of the way talked into it. Nor will you. I don’t sing—” Karone held up a hand before Cassie could get the first word of response past her teeth. “—nor do I pretend to sing or dance or flail about in public, especially not on a program that will be seen by millions. Thank you _very_ much.”

Ashley turned in her chair to assess Karone’s temper. The former Princess of Evil still occasionally lived up to her moniker when she’d been pushed too hard. It was why they’d gladly allowed her duck out of the spotlight as much as they could. But judging by the slight smile playing around the corners of Karone’s lips, in spite of her words, that infamous temper was barely at a simmer, much less a full-on boil. Still… it didn’t hurt to be cautious. “You never know… it could be fun?”

Turning away from the weights, Karone picked up a staff from the weapon’s rack and raised an eyebrow in Ashley’s direction. Ashley levered herself up from her seat with a quiet groan. That was one thing that having Karone on board had done for them—there was no slacking off between attacks. Or interviews. Not that they couldn’t all use the practice. They could. But sometimes… sometimes it would have been nice to be able to sit back and kick her feet up during the down times.

When Karone met the first strike of Ashley’s staff with one of her own, Ashley felt the blow all the way up her arms and into her shoulders. Either Cassie’s needling had gotten to Karone more than she had let on, or Ashley really needed to spend less time at interview tables and more time on the training floor. 

…or both. Both was possible, too.

As Ashley fell into the rhythm of her sparring match with Karone, Cassie edged closer, perching on the arm of the chair that Ashley had abandoned, ukulele hanging forgotten from one hand as she called out advice. It was such a familiar scene that Ashley couldn’t help but smile. This, more than anything, now, was home. This was what was important. Karone. Cassie. They and Ashley all working together to keep each other safe, to keep each other strong, to keep each other ready.

At the ten-minute mark, when Ashley bowed out, Cassie put her ukulele to the side in favor of picking up the staff that Ashely tossed her way. The rhythm of the sparring match barely faltered as they traded places. This was what it meant to be teammates, to be partners, to know each other as well as you knew yourself. And Ashley wouldn’t have thought it possible a year ago, but Karone fit into them, now, as well as they fit into each other. Ashley could hardly remember a time when Karone hadn’t been a part of them… and she was glad of it.

Once Ashley had taken a drink of water and done some stretching to cool down, she settled into the spot that Cassie had just abandoned. A wide smile lifted her lips at the strain evident in the bunched muscles of Karone’s arms. Cassie was making her work for it this time. Judging her moment carefully, the better to give Cassie an advantage, Ashley asked, “OK, so… I get why they leave you mostly alone. I mean, they probably think you’re two steps from going feral at any given moment. But except for the occasional disaster prep conferences, I never see Andros at these things, either. What’s _his_ secret?”

Karone’s answer was a short laugh and a shake of her head, and she didn’t miss a single beat in her sparring with Cassie.

Ashley leaned forward as Karone and Ashley whipped past. “No, really. I want to know!”

Cassie paused just long enough to toss a smirk Ashley’s way. “That desperate to get out of Celebrity Bake Off?”

And that one pause was all it took. Before Ashley could even think to warn Cassie it was coming, Karone swept Cassie’s legs right out from under her, and Ashley was not going to be fast enough to catch her— Oh.

Just as Karone had so neatly caught Cassie’s legs with her staff, she caught the rest of her just as easily. Then, with a soft smile, she leaned over to claim the prize they’d set on these training matches months ago: a kiss for the winner. Ashley let out a quiet whimper, her heart beating faster at the sight and more than a little sorry that it hadn’t been she on the losing end of this bout.

When Cassie finally stood back up, it was with the self-satisfied smirk of a cat who’d gotten not just the canary, but an entire bowl of cream to wash it down. Karone shook her head. “You threw the match on purpose. You’re never that easily distracted in a real fight.”

“Oh, yeah? You think so?”

Karone let out a soft snort as she turned to put the staves back on the weapons rack. “I think so? No, Cassie. I _know_ so.” Still, she joined Ashley and Cassie where they’d settled in on one of the couches, curling one arm possessively around Cassie’s shoulders and threading the other into Ashley’s hair to pull her in for a kiss of her own.

Ashley whimpered even louder into that kiss than she had watching Karone and Cassie. In the beginning, Karone had kissed like she’d done everything else—as though it were a battle. It had taken months of patient coaxing, but now… now she was different. Softer. Gentler. And it made Ashley melt every time.

But she still wanted an answer. 

“Seriously, Karone. Spill. How do you and Andros get out of all this celebrity hero nonsense?”

The smile that stretched Karone’s lips was more than a little wicked when she finally answered. “It’s simple really. And you Earth people have such a charming expression for it that I’ve entirely forgotten what we used to call it on KO-35.” Her smile widened. “Resting bitch face.”

“…resting bitch face.”

The look on Ashley’s face must have been priceless, because both Cassie and Karone nearly busted a gut laughing at it. Ashley sputtered for a moment before finding her voice again. “Are you serious? Tell me you’re not serious. That’s _all_??”

With a monumental effort and a few false starts, Karone finally got her laughter under control. “I wish I could tell you differently, Ashley, but that really is all it is.” She sighed, finally sobering completely. “Maybe it’s genetic. Maybe it’s the warped lives we’ve both led that left so little time for any joy. I don’t know. But I’m not above using it for intimidation to get me out of the paparazzi parade.” At Cassie’s raised eyebrow, Karone made a face. “We had them on KO-35, too. And, believe it or not, Dark Spectre’s side had their fair share, as well.” A pause. “And before you ask, trust me—you do _not_ want to know what I had to do to discourage them.”

Cassie curled in closer to Karone’s side, even as she reached up to twine her fingers with Karone’s hand where it was resting on her shoulder. “I can’t imagine.”

Karone sighed. “Nor should you.” Moments later, Ashley could practically see it as Karone pushed those melancholy thoughts aside to return to the lighter tone of their earlier conversation. “But that was years ago. A lifetime ago. Your paparazzi are nothing in comparison.” At Cassie and Ashley’s twin snorts, she said, “Don’t believe me? How about this. Bring me along to the next meeting with your agent. I guarantee he’ll back off by the time I’m done with him. He’ll back off before I’ve even _started_ with him.”

Ashley grabbed Karone’s hand and pumped it quickly up and down before she could change her mind. “That is a deal I will gladly take!” She leaned around Karone. “How about you, Cassie? Going to take advantage of the Princess formerly known as Evil to put a stop to this nonsense once and for all?”

The smile that stretched Cassie’s lips as she reached out to cover Karone’s and Ashley’s hands with her own was as sly as they come. “OK. Yeah. I’m in. Just… one thing.”

Ashley’s answering smile was as encouraging as she could make it. “Anything.”

“…any chance we can wait until _after_ I do Lip Sync Battle?” Karone raised an eyebrow in the slow, I-was-evil-once-you-know way that she had, and Cassie waved her free hand around as if that could explain. It couldn’t.

Finally, Cassie hung her head and muttered, “Oh my God, it’s so stupid, but I had the most ridiculous crush on LL Cool J when he was in Last Holiday, and you really don’t expect me to pass up the only chance I’ll probably ever have to meet him, do you?”

Ashley couldn’t help it. She sputtered back into laughter. Karone rolled her eyes at both of them and peeled herself free to get up off the couch. That got Ashley’s attention enough to help her calm herself back down. “Wait! I thought we were plotting here. Where are you going?”

Karone raised one single eyebrow and drew herself up to her full height and dignity—a pose for which the resting coldness in her face was definitely an asset. Ashley only hoped that it would make her agent feel as chastised as it did her right now.

“To take a shower. It’s up to you whether you’d rather both sit here laughing… or if you’d rather join me.”

And really… that was no choice at all. Ashley easily won the race to the showers prompted by that blatant challenge… but she took her sweet time claiming both of her prizes. After all, some things just shouldn’t be rushed, and this was the kind of competition where everybody won.


End file.
